6 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make on Twitter

Twitter is usually one of the first social networks that entrepreneurs sign up for when starting their business. Some have success and find their grooves. Unfortunately, many do not. This is usually due to the mistakes that they make (yet often do not realize). The great thing is, these mistakes are easy to fix if you really want to make Twitter work for you.

Here are 6 of the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make on Twitter.

Mistake #1: Not understanding why you are on Twitter

The most important thing before entrepreneurs put themselves out there on Twitter is to understand why they are on Twitter. What goals do they want to accomplish on Twitter? Do you want to use it as a customer service tool? Do you want to be seen as an influencer in your industry? Do you want to increase brand awareness?

Answering these questions will create a solid foundation to get you started on your Twitter journey.

Mistake #2 – Not understanding how the Twitt-o-sphere works

I like to compare Twitter to the company water cooler – it is the place people go to hang out, and start building relationships based on quick conversations (in 140 characters or less). No company water cooler is the same, and neither is every social media platform, which is why it is very important to understand the nuances of Twitter.

The most important thing on Twitter is interaction with other people. Do not expect to Tweet all day long without interacting with others. It is basically like talking to yourself. Remember, Twitter is about building relationships.

Mistake #3 – Not following the 80/20 rule

People follow accounts on Twitter because they are Tweeting useful content that they are interested in. Successful accounts Tweet tips, advice, and links to relevant articles about 80% of the time. The other 20% is used for their promotions. This is okay though! They have earned the right to promote themselves because they are providing high quality content the other 80% of the time.

Don’t be the person who promotes themselves 80% (or 100%) of the time.

Mistake #4 – Airing your dirty laundry

Everyone has bad days, disagreements and frustrations. Unfortunately, too often I see entrepreneurs and small businesses exposing their dirty laundry on Twitter.

Just because you are behind a keyboard does not give you carte blanche to discuss whatever you want.

Airing your dirty laundry makes you look unprofessional and untrustworthy (not only on Twitter, but any other social network as well).

Frustrated about a client? Don’t post about it.

Twitter troll egging you on? Ignore them.

Opinions on political topics? Keep them to yourself.

When in doubt, don’t Tweet it out.

Mistake #5 – Not filling out your profile fully

This is one of the easiest mistakes to correct; yet many do not do it. Make your Twitter profile as awesome as it can possibly be!

This includes having a clean and crisp profile photo. The ideal image size for profile photos is 400 x 400 pixels. Remember, your profile photo is going to appear significantly smaller in Twitter feeds, so try not to have a lot of noisy background.

Be sure to create a header photo. It does not have to be overly complicated, but make sure you have one. The ideal size is 1500 x 500 pixels.

Do not leave your bio hanging. You have 160 characters to WOW your audience. Be sure to use this real estate wisely and to the fullest.

It may seem obvious, but so many entrepreneurs forget to input their website address on the Twitter profile. Don’t have a website up and running yet? Link to another social page where you are active.

Finally, be sure to align your brand colors (if applicable).

Mistake #6 – Not Tweeting consistently

Tweeting consistently is probably one of the most important factors in growing your Twitter account as an entrepreneur. Showing up is so important. Try to Tweet at least five times per day. I know this my sound like too much with everything else going on, but here is a little secret: you can schedule your Tweets!

There are various free and paid services out there that allow you to schedule your Tweets. Take some time at the beginning of the week to schedule at least five Tweets per day. This will make your life a lot easier when it comes to growing your Twitter account.

That being said, scheduling your Tweets does not mean you can “set it and forget it.” You still want to make sure you take some time every day to go in and interact with people to start building those relationships.

Twitter is probably my favorite social network for building my business. I have formed relationships with so many wonderful people. I have no doubt that if you avoid the 6 mistakes that I mentioned, it will quickly become your favorite, too.

Have you made any of these rookie mistakes on Twitter? Let us know how you improved in the comments!

Lindsay Schuster is a Social Media Strategist who is helping keep social simple for entrepreneurs. She lives in Toronto with her husband and shih-tzu. She pretty much lives on Twitter, so be sure to say hi to her @lindsayschustr.

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Comments

Hi Lindsay,
I just found this article via @twitter and I must appreciate the writing.
May I request YOU to allow me to translate this in HINDI and post on Linkedin Pulse! Offcourse with the article source link and your profile link.
Thanks.
NeerajLinkedin.com/in/KNKAYASTHA